


Sometime Soon

by ziegler



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Confession, Edeleth, F/F, Femslash, First Kiss, First Love, Fluff, Post-Timeskip | War Phase (Fire Emblem: Three Houses), Pre-Timeskip | Academy Phase (Fire Emblem: Three Houses), Romance, Yuri, edelgard in her feelings as usual, yall know i love a lil bit of pining dorothea....
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-14
Updated: 2020-10-14
Packaged: 2021-03-08 23:20:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,689
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27014908
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ziegler/pseuds/ziegler
Summary: Edelgard von Hresvelg is, as usual, the only one who can't see that her and Byleth have been a long time coming.
Relationships: Edelgard von Hresvelg/My Unit | Byleth
Comments: 10
Kudos: 146





	Sometime Soon

**Author's Note:**

> WHATS UP EDELETH NATION!!!! I MISSED YALL! damn it's so nice to actually be able to write for these lovely ladies again! 
> 
> as i'm sure some of you may know from my other fics (or from following me on [twitter](https://www.twitter.com/gloomhoarder)) i've been working my ass off on a visual novel for the past few months called Love Bakudan, which is why there has been a huge drought in my fanfics, haha. whilst work on it isn't quite finished yet (bug testing will be the death of me), i couldn't resist writing a little something for these two again. i miss them so much!!! 
> 
> anyway, i hope that you guys are looking forward to a lil fluffy something that i just had to do for fun. enjoy!

Edelgard von Hresvelg was always a little bit of everything when it came to Byleth.

Adoring, straightforward, and a little jealous. She never acted on it, though; on _any_ of those emotions; and it didn’t really matter what Byleth could have been doing. It could have been anything - going about her day, feeding the Garreg Mach strays, or enjoying her favourite flavours of tea at the gazebo…it didn’t matter. Edelgard only wished that those words and activities were for her and her _only_ , and just knowing that Byleth Eisner’s presence was out there in the open for all to enjoy set Edelgard on a strange trajectory that she didn’t quite understand.

Jealousy, in particular, was an alien feeling. Even now, as she stands here in the midst of Garreg Mach’s grounds, her mind is…muddled. At first, Edelgard doesn’t even recognize it _as_ jealousy, because she simply has never felt that way before.

There is nothing for her to scramble any semblance of understanding from in her mind's eye, because Edelgard has never wanted anything more than Byleth in the first place.

Jealousy is an emotion which acts independent of any other. It is not through any semblance of logical thought that one feels jealous; and of course, this made Edelgard wonder many times - particularly when kept awake at night - just what it was that plagued her so. Was it the idea that Rhea’s forces slithered in the dark, moving along in the shadows to find that accursed tomb within the Academy? Or was it the fact that, if aptly persuaded, almost half of the Black Eagles could defect over to other classes, and threaten for their previous friendships to become enemies in the future?

No; instead, Edelgard knew immediately that those were valid worries. Of course it would be upsetting to lose friends, and of course, she already despised the Archbishop as it was. This _other_ feeling, however, was juvenile and entirely personal, and one that simultaneously made her heart hurt as well as flutter.

Today, it rains inside the monastery grounds. The soft splashes of pitter-pattering rain rush down the tall, dark spires of Garreg Mach’s buildings, and cause a great ruckus drumming against the pathways that lead around each building.

Hubert and Dorothea are at Edelgard’s side; as they so often are, these days; and through a thin veil of civility, they squabble and fuss over her well-being.

“E-Edie! Slow down, honestly!”

“Lady Edelgard, you are moving awfully quickly. Is everything alright?”

Edelgard folds her arms as she continues to walk along the path, and hurries, somewhat unintentionally, back towards the Black Eagles home room.

“I’m fine.”

“Hubie, let me hold the umbrella.”

“…No.”

Edelgard frowns, brushing a strand of her blonde hair out of her eyes, and remains lost in thought.

This feeling is still there. Uncomfortable and sticky inside her mind, and this sickening mixture of affection and hesitation feels as though there is some kind of flimsy fog hovering across her brain, scattering her thoughts in tangible, undeniable static bursts emitting from too much chaos inside. Eventually, that sensation sends a wave of anxiety trembling down into her heart.

“What’s happening to me…?” Edelgard mumbles to herself as she walks, and Dorothea is the only one that catches what Edelgard says. She cocks an eyebrow as she looks down at her.

“Edie…”

The three of them have been summoned to talk, individually, with Byleth about their performance in the last fight. Edelgard knows that she _should_ receive praise; but she worries that she also might have been outdone, perhaps by Petra or Dorothea, or more frustratingly, an outlier to the original Black Eagles formation, such as Lysithea. To hear _them_ get somehow more recognized as an equal by Byleth was something Edelgard knew would send her into a fit of despair, and that simply couldn’t happen.

“Edelgard,” Dorothea repeats again, and this time, Edelgard knows it's a serious affair when she uses her full name. “Are you alright? You’re acting ever so strange…”

Hubert opts not to say anything, but Edelgard can tell he agrees.

Edelgard frowns, silently annoyed at the question, despite that neither Hubert nor Dorothea have actually done anything _wrong_. Her companions raise another eyebrow in intrigue once again, and instead, they remain silent besides her as they walk.

A strange, numb sensation begins to reach Edelgard’s hands. Trepidation? No…hesitance? She can’t work it out. She’s been biting her nails lately, and thoughts rush back of Byleth inside the cafeteria area, sitting with Hilda and Mercedes, laughing and talking over dinners. Edelgard closes her eyes. Another thought quickly enters her head, almost violently fast, of a way that Byleth looked at her once after a battle, and that thought is enough to keep her going through every hour of the day. Those soulful eyes that said so much. Edelgard feels a horrid, invisible lump of affection swell in her throat.

As the rain lashes down, the winds of Garreg Mach’s grounds also seem particularly tense today, and feeling the rush of wind kiss coldly at the back of her neck only serves to further her thoughts.

_Byleth. Byleth. Where is Byleth? I have to see her._

As Edelgard’s heels click against the concrete, they are followed by the pads of Hubert’s soft footsteps, and Dorothea’s boots clicking besides her in turn. Edelgard begins to work out that the feeling she has hanging over her head is indeed _jealousy_ , and Hubert pushes open the doors to the Black Eagles room with a great creak of the hinges.

“They really ought to oil those things, shouldn’t they?” Dorothea says with her effervescent, always constant smile, and Hubert doesn’t say anything. Neither does Edelgard.

The doors open fully; and before them sits the woman that they know well, resting back against the desk she so often teaches from.

“Ah! You’re here.”

Her voices echoes against the cold, stone walls, and Edelgard immediately feels her cheeks a little hotter.

“Morning, Byleth!” Dorothea says spritely, and walks into the room with a usual, flirty confidence. “You’re as handsome as ever.”

“Now, now…” Byleth replies with a bashful chuckle, and runs a hand through her hair. “I’m glad you feel well rested enough to be so cheeky, Miss Arnault.”

“You know me! I’m nothing if not prepared.”

Byleth laughs, and Edelgard feels an arrow pierce her envious heart at the candid reply.

“Good morning, Lady Eisner.” Hubert chips in, and Byleth smiles brightly at him. Edelgard feels as though, if it were possible, she would capture that light Byleth holds within her expression in a jar. It was always rare to see her smile, which only made it even more of a delight to actually see. 

“Morning, Hubert. Did you sleep well?”

Hubert smiles politely and bows slightly.

“Yes, indeed. I believe you called us here for more than mere pleasantries, though.”

Byleth smiles politely back; a smile that Edelgard immediately recognizes as one that is slightly irritated with Hubert's tone of voice. 

“Ah," Byleth says in relief, and turns her attention to the princess of the Adrestian Empire instead. "And good morning to you, Edelgard!”

Edelgard feels a sudden shock up her spine, and stands up even straighter than usual when in Byleth’s presence. 

“Ah! Good morning, my teacher.”

“Did you sleep well, too?” Byleth asks, and Edelgard can’t help but privately melt a little at the fact that Byleth’s tone is noticeably brighter when _they_ talk.

“I did, thank you...” Edelgard replies, with an uncharacteristic, underlying dreaminess in her voice; a tone that you would only notice if you knew Edelgard well; as though Byleth has asked her for her hand in marriage rather than a mere morning greeting. A far cry from the grumpy, small blonde woman that walked ahead of her friends on the way to this very room. 

Behind her, Dorothea and Hubert exchange a knowing look. Edelgard is suddenly a different person around Byleth; which could only mean one thing.

 _So_ that’s _what's going on with her._

-

Five years later, and nothing much has changed.

 _Emperor_ Edelgard von Hresvelg is an accomplished woman, now. She remained ever proud of her accomplishments at Garreg Mach, but to now be claiming it as her stronghold? That in itself was her _favourite_ accomplishment yet, if only because it meant that Archbishop Rhea would be thoroughly infuriated at the prospect.

“Ah, Edie?”

A soft knock comes against the door, and Edelgard turns around to see the hopeful, pretty face of Dorothea. She’s been seemingly more affectionate recently, and Edelgard has found the actions to be quite odd, even for a woman as typically flirty as her.

“Yes?”

“Byleth wants to see you in her room. She sounded pretty urgent about it, too.”

Edelgard feels her eyelashes falter as she blinks.

“What? Is everything alright? She’s not hurt again, is she?”

“No, she’s not hurt, darling. Quite the opposite nowadays, in fact! But she said to hurry over as soon as you can, okay?”

Dorothea smiles with an affectionate gaze at the woman before her, before turning away with a slight sadness in her eyes. Edelgard frowns, unable to fully work out what that look was all about, before she shakes her head.

_There’s no time to waste. Byleth wants me at her side._

_I have to go._

Edelgard feels the cape of both responsibility and silk flutter behind her, and rushes out of the door that Dorothea just left from.

Today, in Garreg Mach, it is raining once again in the grounds. Edelgard can’t help but feel a slightly nostalgic, wistful feeling as she walks; with memories of that day flooding back to her from five years prior, and listening to how her boots somehow seem so much louder than they did back then when she was a student here. Every echo is almost reminisce of how many steps she’s had to take to actually get to this position, and how much brighter her days are, now that Byleth has returned. Somehow, Byleth managed to bring back not just her own smile, but Edelgard’s own in turn, too.

“I wonder what she could want?” Edelgard asks to herself, and continues to stride down the sheltered pathways as the rain splashes into the soft grass besides her.

Edelgard von Hresvelg has only two favourite memories in her life, and both revolve around Byleth Eisner. The first is when they first happened to meet, and Byleth had darted out in front of her to save her from a certain doom; and the other happened to be a recent creation, where after a particularly arduous fight, Byleth had collapsed in Edelgard’s arms after a poisoned arrow had entered her shoulder.

In all other cases, such a memory should have been one full of nought more than trauma and despair. But for Edelgard, despite the resounding worry and threat of losing Byleth yet again, this was a memory of great repose and comfort, and one where if she hadn’t already been certain of her feelings for Byleth Eisner, she certainly was _now_ , because when those light, green eyes stared up into her own for such long patches of time, it was impossible to fall in love.

“…Really…” Edelgard said with a smile as her legs carried her with great haste. “You are…always such a part of me.”

It went around the encampment all about how Emperor Edelgard had shown such a soft, kind-hearted approach to the returned teacher. At first, most people assumed it was because Edelgard von Hresvelg, the great conqueror and reformer of all Fodlan, owed a lot to her former teacher, despite that they were similar in age and wisdom in the first place; but as the days passed and Edelgard refused to move from Byleth’s side, it became apparent that it was more than that.

The poison of the arrowhead hadn’t spread too far. Edelgard felt as though she could choke and cry in the moment after; the horrible scream of pain, seeing Byleth writhing in such agony, and the pulsing, unpleasant sight of the veins that throbbed around the wound’s entry.

“Byleth!” Edelgard cried. " _No!_ Not again!"

As Byleth lay, fury enveloped her in such a way that, as she held Byleth in her arms, she demanded that her troops bring back the head of the current field commander on the opposing team.

They did. That day, Edelgard von Hresvelg had been noted to be a terrifying force on the battlefield.

After calling in the team’s finest healers and bandaging off Byleth back to her quarters, Edelgard had opted to stay away from the battlefield for a few days in favour of watching over her.

As the rain fell, Edelgard felt her head spinning as thoughts of adoration and flushed affection surged throughout her mind, and she felt her gloved hands tingling the closer she got to Byleth’s room. What had once been Edelgard’s juvenile feeling of jealousy and an intense crush during her student days, had now become a full-fledged, blossomed love, where she could appreciate and equally adore all of Byleth’s strengths and flaws, as though they were the recipe for the greatest miracle on earth.

“…Here I am,” she thought to herself, and took a deep breath in as she stood outside the door.

Closing her eyes, she listened to the raindrops splash around her with a cacophony of noises; water that trickled down the sloped rooftops, and sploshed off of the dripping trees that still held strong inside Garreg Mach’s grounds. In the distance, she could hear the far-off amazement of Ferdinand von Aegir, marvelling at what sounded like some kind of achievement Bernadetta von Varley had managed to accomplish in great spirits. Edelgard found that she couldn’t help but smile.

Now that Byleth was home…this place really did feel like somewhere she wanted to return to.

“I’ll tell her one day,” Edelgard always promised herself. “One day…I’ll tell her about my feelings. Maybe when she’s fully better.”

Taking a second, more serious deep breath, she raised one gloved hand to the door; and, gnawing a little at her lip…knocked twice.

“Ah, is that you, El?”

Edelgard gasped a little. That name…

“Yes, it’s me.”

Her heart swelled.

“…Come in, come in!” Byleth urged from behind the door, and Edelgard heard the hurried scrape of a chair as she rushed to stand.

Forcibly restraining the huge grin on her face to a polite smirk, Edelgard pushed open the door to Byleth’s quarters; and, allowing that smile to slip out of her grasp somewhat a little more, her eyes were greeted with the sight of the woman she loved.

“Morning, El…” Byleth said with a brilliant, white smile; and Edelgard felt her heart flutter.

“…Good morning, Byleth.”

Byleth grinned, and motioned with a beckon of her hand towards the two seats besides her table.

Edelgard thought how, besides the actual act of Byleth returning after those long, five years, this was probably the happiest she’d ever been.

The two of them felt like an old, married couple. At least, that’s how Edelgard felt. And Edelgard had never experienced that kind of sensation before in her life; not just because there was no person present whom she wished to marry in that situation, but the lack of being able to _actually_ relax was another huge factor. But not around Byleth. Byleth Eisner, herself, was the picture of comfort; and Edelgard’s one and only love, throughout all of the nights and days of her life.

“…You know,” Byleth began to say after a few moments of silence, and placed her teacup down onto the saucer once again. “I actually called you here to thank you.”

“You did?”

“For watching over me after that arrow’s poison. You didn’t have to do that.”

Edelgard blinks incredulously.

“You honestly think I would have left your side? I spent more than long enough without you.”

Byleth smiles; this time, a warm, loving smile that makes Edelgard blush almost as red as her dress; and she can’t help but chuckle as Edelgard clears her throat.

“No, I don’t. But…” Byleth says, “I still think thanks are in order. Don’t you? After all, tomorrow marks my return to the battlefield.”

Edelgard finds that her eyes widen at the reminder that tomorrow is another day, and she can’t live in this single, perfect moment forever.

“Ah…you’re right.”

“Good! Then allow me to thank you.”

“Wh – I didn’t mean about the gratitude, Byleth!”

Byleth ignores Edelgard’s flustering, and stands up with ease from her chair. Her shoulder certainly appears to be fully healed, having taken no time at all to regenerate with these strange, new powers of hers; and, as Byleth walks over to the small, wooden closet near the back of the room, Edelgard feels her heart racing.

_What could it be? Did she…no, she wouldn’t have bought me anything. She couldn't. Surely..._

_Every town nearby to here has been all but ransacked!_

_..._

_Would she?_

“I had a little help in getting this for you, but…” Byleth began with a rosy smile on her cheeks; and in her hands, she holds something magnificent that Edelgard can’t quite believe. “You didn’t hear that from me.”

“Byleth…!” Edelgard marvels; and her eyes drink up the sight before her. “They’re so beautiful…!”

A bouquet of bright, red carnations rest in Byleth’s hands before Edelgard; wrapped daintily in what looked like fine parchment, and hand-tied with a silk, red bow.

Taking them from Byleth’s hands, Edelgard feels a well of emotion spring in her heart, and a quick mist rushing over her eyes. Byleth feels a little guilty that the woman she wanted to spoil now looks as though she could burst into tears.

“Dorothea and Hubert helped me out,” Byleth says bashfully, and rubs the back of her neck as Edelgard places the carnations down on the table. “So be sure t -”

Before Edelgard can really realize what she’s doing, it’s almost as though – no, not almost…it is like her body moved entirely on its own; and as though she has no regard for embarrassment or worry or the jealousy that has plagued her for such a long time in the presence of Byleth Eisner…

Edelgard von Hresvelg has wrapped her arms around Byleth’s neck, and kisses her.

The rain is still falling outside, and the droplets of water can be heard splashing against the window of Byleth’s quarters. Edelgard can’t bear to open her eyes this soon, because that means she’ll see if Byleth _is_ shocked, horrified, or enamoured in the moment, and so she opts to continue pressing her lips gently to Byleth’s own.

It is almost as though time itself stops.

But instead, after what feels like a lifetime, Edelgard _does_ feel her lips break away from Byleth; not because she moved away; but instead because a gasp came from her own lips.

Byleth wraps her arms around Edelgard’s waist in an almost needy embrace that she could never have anticipated.

“Ah!” Edelgard exclaims.

Leaning back in Byleth’s arms, Edelgard’s hands instinctively place themselves on her shoulders; and Byleth blinks, looking at Edelgard with a pink, dainty blush on her cheeks.

“…Um…”

“…Ah…”

Both women stare at each other for a moment, before; as their gazes drop to the others lips; they can’t help but reconnect them.

Kissing in such a slow, sensual manner is almost too much to bear. Edelgard can’t quite believe that this is happening, but she will. Edelgard also can’t quite believe that Byleth is really kissing her, after all this time, but she will. And as they stand here, wrapped up in the other’s embrace; listening to the comfortable, cold weather of the outside world around them, there’s really only one thing left to say.

“I love you,” Edelgard blurts out as they lean back from another kiss; and this time, it’s Byleth who gasps.

“El…”

“I love you, and I always have. Always.”

Edelgard has no need for juvenile feelings anymore; not when Byleth Eisner is so thoroughly in her clutches like this. The words tumble out of her mouth before she can stop them, and even in the haze of it all, she's not sure she would ever want to.

It feels almost…manic, to confess such a thing to the person you adore. Edelgard finds that same, familiar chaos returns; the familiar chaotic sensation that came with all of her younger self's feelings, making itself known in her mind, but not in the same way now.

This time, she doesn’t feel uncomfortably negative and petulant; but instead, she feels overwhelmingly passionate, devoted, and hopelessly inconsolable, should Byleth not feel the same.

But when Byleth stands back slightly with a smile; with that same, lovelorn, warm smile that Edelgard von Hresvelg has always adored, all throughout the years of Garreg Mach attendance, she can’t help but relish in what follows the tender action of Byleth’s next move; which is her placing her hand gently to Edelgard’s face.

“…And I love you,” Byleth stammers out eventually, bashfully, and strokes Edelgard’s cheek with her thumb. “…I could just never find the words to say it.”

Turning her gaze towards the carnations laying on the table, Byleth smiles warmly to herself; feeling Edelgard’s hands still placed on the back of her neck.

“So that’s why you bought me carnations,” Edelgard beams. Byleth feels her own heart flutter, then.

“I know they’re your favourite flower.”

“How?” Edelgard asked in amazement, and grinned quietly. “How did you? In all the years I've known you...I've never told you such a thing, have I?”

And, as the next few words left Byleth’s mouth, Edelgard realized that the next sentence was about to show one thing; that she never had any cause to be jealous of anybody around Byleth, in the past, present or future. Because all through the years, and through the pining and the angst and the heartache...

“I only ever keep my eyes on you.”

It all suddenly became very apparent to a now even further amazed Edelgard...that Byleth Eisner was always meant to be hers. 

**Author's Note:**

> if you'd like to follow me on twitter where i talk about nothing but gay stuff and work stuff, feel free to do so [here!](https://www.twitter.com/gloomhoarder) thank you! ♥


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